Xmas dinner: Ditch the turkey, head for Mickey D’s

Could it be the beginning of a new Christmas tradition.

According to AdAge, McDonald’s is “urging U.S. restaurant owners to take the unusual step of opening on Christmas Day to deliver the world’s biggest hamburger chain with the gift of higher December sales.”

The move is a break from the company’s tradition of closing on major holidays.

An internal company memo counseled franchisees: “Our largest holiday opportunity as a system is Christmas Day. Last year, (company-operated) restaurants that opened on Christmas averaged $5,500 in sales.”

Many McDonald’s restaurants were open on Thanksgiving this year.

A former franchisee said: “It’s easy to get kids to work on Thanksgiving because they want to get away from their family, but not on Christmas.”